Bitcoin buttons displayed on a table at the Inside Bitcoins...

Bitcoin buttons displayed on a table at the Inside Bitcoins conference in Berlin earlier this month. Bitcoin has no coinage, it is a virtual currency. Credit: AP / Frank Jordans

A major bitcoin exchange has apparently gone bust after racking up catastrophic losses. Other companies that trade in the virtual currency said Tuesday that the website of Mt. Gox, a Tokyo-based exchange,  had disappeared, possibly causing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of losses.

Bitcoin enthusiasts were quick to call the incident an isolated case, and a variety of retailers have recently said they will accept bitcoin as payment, from Overstock.com to a Long Island bakery.

On bitcoin exchanges, the unregulated currency's value has ranged from $1,200 per bitcoin three months ago to $470 Tuesday.

Would you consider using bitcoin?  Vote and leave a comment; a selection of comments will appear in next Sunday's business section.

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Yankees swept out of playoffs... Billy Joel's motorcycles on display at auction... New details in death of 7-year-old girl Credit: Newsday

Home health care wage thefts... Maduro indicted on new charges... Lead in LI school water

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